(Flash Review)An intelligent ex-con is released from prison and eager to catch a quick score. He persuades his old small-time crook buddies to go in with him to rob a casino. Even back in the 40's casino's had muscle so of course things don't go as planned. The main guy escapes, while 'the muscle' hunts down others; even out of the country. The main guy spots a look-alike and he takes his life, then his identity. The crux of the movie is not to trust your local photography print maker as the ex-con needs to carve a scar onto his face to match the guy he took his identity from. However, the print shop printed the photo reversed! Whoops! How long can he keep the deception going while he interacts and does the job of this other man? Overall, the story was a bit vague in spots and really great in others. A clever little film noir tale.

Paul Henreid starred and produced this okay film noir crime drama. This is Henreid's movie as he dominates most of the scenes obviously looking to escape his nice guy-good guy image for something far darker. He's not bad but the preposterous script did not provide much assistance; It's just too much of a leap of faith for the viewer to accept for this storyline to work. Henreid no sooner is let out of prison than he can't wait to organize his gone-soft mob to knock off the biggest gambling racket in town run by feared gangster Rocky Stansyck. The heist is a surprisingly low budget shoot; it goes wrong and Henreid is on the run from Stansyck's crowd. He happens upon a look alike shrink except for a facial scar and plans to steal his identity. In the process of stealing the identity Henreid accidentally scars the wrong side of his face. No matter - nobody notices! Tough Joan Bennett is the shrink's secretary in a good role. Lovely Leslie Brooks has a throw-away role. Herbert Rudley as Marcy is quite good though as Henreid's right hand man in his mob. The rest is fairly predictable. The exceptionally dark nourish shoot and atmosphere were very good and bailed out the mediocre script and plot to some degree. This is okay for film noir buffs.

"Hollow Triumph" (aka "The Scar") is a dark thriller about a conceited criminal, a bungled heist and an incredible sequence of events that lead to an extremely ironic conclusion. The moral of the story is that no-one can deny their fate and that any attempts to do so will inevitably prove to be futile. This is a movie that's thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable to watch but one that also contains its share of bitterness and tragedy.John Muller (Paul Henreid) is a college educated con-man who, in the past, studied at a medical school and for some time after practised without a licence as a psychiatrist. When he's released from a prison sentence, the warden arranges for him to be given an office job at a medical supply company in L.A. in the hope that it will encourage him to settle down to an ordinary life and go straight. John has no such intentions and before taking up his job reconvenes his old gang and convinces them to take part in a high-value casino heist.The heist doesn't go according to plan and only John and his old friend Marcy (Herbert Rudley) escape. Marcy is terrified because casino owner Rocky Stansyck (Robert Browne Henry) is a vicious gangster with a reputation for hunting down anyone who crosses him. After the two men share their stolen money, Marcy heads off to Mexico and John leaves to take up his job in L.A.Shortly after beginning his new job, John discovers that he has a double called Dr Victor Bartok who's a successful psychologist and learns that the only obvious distinction between them is that Bartok has a prominent facial scar. John goes to Bartok's office where he meets the doctor's secretary, Evelyn Hahn (Joan Bennett). Although she's involved in a relationship with Bartok, Evelyn also strikes up a friendship with John which he uses to gain access to a number of Bartok's documents.John gets fired from his office job and then goes on to make a scar on his own face before murdering Dr Bartok and assuming his identity. Despite cutting the wrong cheek, no-one seems to notice and John seems to have made himself safe from being killed by Stansyk's men.Paul Henreid is extremely good as Muller and Bartok and convincingly conveys Muller's over-confidence and his disdain for anyone who sees any merit in being employed in a routine job. Joan Bennett is also excellent as Evelyn whose experiences with love have left her terribly disillusioned and the extinguishing of her last hope of happiness is a particularly poignant moment.Despite its lack of box office success, "Hollow Triumph" is a very well written movie with some memorable lines and also John Alton's wonderful cinematography.

Billed as "film-noir", Hollow Triumph (HT) is an interesting character study of a man who has distinct sociopathic inclinations. As John Muller/Dr Bartok, Paul Henreid gives a chilling performance as the leader of group of robbers who sets up a job to rob a casino of its take (an idea given the comedy treatment in Oceans 11, twelve years later). The heist goes badly wrong though, forcing Muller to flee from the mob and two hit men who are ordered to kill him, regardless of how long it takes (another idea already used in The Killers from 1946, from an Earnest Hemingway story).Muller's gang goes separate ways, and Muller flees to a city a long way from that casino and mob.With the killers on the hunt, Muller is saved, so to speak, by deus ex machina: he stumbles upon a doppelganger who looks exactly the same, except for a large scar on one cheek. At the same time, Muller also finds a fast-talking, breezy secretary – Eveln Harn (Joan Bennett) – who is attracted to, yet somewhat also repulsed by, this smoothie chain smoker who has a mysterious background. Women are always too curious, no?Anyway, Muller, always the pragmatist, concocts a scheme to hide from the hit men by posing as Dr Bartok. That involves killing the good doctor – too bad, it's him or me, Muller reasons – and taking over the practice. Conveniently, Muller has a psych background, having studied psychology long ago. He works out how to get the proper scar onto his cheek – and he's in, safe and sound, and making more money to add to the loot he stole from the casino. He even goes to a local casino where Dr Bartok is well known, and has a swell time at the tables – and loses big time, as the real Bartok mostly did.But, the hit men are still searching, and closing in (check out Jack Webb's film debut as one of those bad guys). So, Muller arranges with Evelyn to scarper – leave on a boat to Hawaii and set up there. Muller forgets one crucial thing, however...This story and movie, although clichéd and predictable to a point, is nevertheless an excellent example of a thriller, and well acted by the whole cast; Henreid is perfect casting for the roles – his expressionless face is well suited to a cold, implacable killer and cool, detached psychiatrist. Joan Bennett – not a femme fatale in this story, but a victim of her gullibility and greed – plays the quick-witted go-getter with aplomb.Of special interest are the photography, editing and direction, all three of which are just excellent, with great, dark visuals that evoke appropriate suspense and edge-of-seat anticipation. The movie should be seen for that alone.Give this one eight out of ten. Recommended for all.February 28, 2013